Carpet fastening tool



p 2, 1969 A J. ERAMO 3,464,731

CARPET FASTENING TOOL Filed Jan. 8, 1968 FIG- 4 51,. INVENTOR.

) Z ANT/101V) EVA/V0 3 4M irrazv'i' l United States Patent 3,464,731CARPET FASTENING TOOL Anthony J. Eramo, 5900 17th Ave., Sacramento,Calif. 95820 Filed Jan. 8, 1968, Ser. No. 696,200 Int. Cl. E04g 21/20US. Cl. 294-8.6 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A hand tool includesa horizontal foot plate for depressing the edge of a wall-to-wall carpetstretched so that the edge portion of the carpet overlies afloor-mounted tack strip, the carpet thereby engaging the upstandingplns on the tack strip. The hand tool is also provided with an innermarginal bead on the foot plate to tuck a small overhanging portion ofthe carpet into a space between the tack strip and the adjacent wall asthe tool is urged downwardly against the portion of the carpet overlyingthe tack strip. A vertical guide plate above the bead slides against thewall and assists in locating and directing the movement of the tool, thetool also including a hand grip outwardly offset from the plane of thewall engaging guide plate to afford a safe and convenient hand hold.

The invention relates to improvements in tools for securing stretchedcarpets to tack strips.

It is an object of the invention to provide a carpet fastening toolwhich is convenient and safe to manipulate.

It is another object of the invention to provide a carpet tool whichquickly and securely fastens a carpet to a tack strip or othercomparable carpet anchor.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a carpet fasteningtool which is economical, yet which is sturdy and durable inconstruction.

It is another object of the invention to provide a generally improvedtool for fastening carpets.

Other objects, together with the foregoing, are attained in theembodiment described in the following description and shown in theaccompanying drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational View;

FIGURE 2 is a bottom plan view of the foot plate and the marginal,tucking bead;

FIGURE 3 is an end view showing the tool in use in a typicalenvironment; and,

FIGURE 4 is a transverse sectional view, the plane of the section beingindicated by the line 4-4 in FIG- URE 1.

While the carpet tool of the invention is susceptible of numerousphysical embodiments, depending upon the environment and requirements ofuse, substantial numbers of the herein shown and described device havebeen made, tested and used, and all have performed in an eminentlysatisfactory manner.

The carpet tool of the invention, generally designated by the referencenumeral 12, includes an elongated horizontal foot plate 13 having asubstantially planar bottom surface 14 formed to engage and depress thepile 16 and backing 17 of the end portion 18 of a wall-to-wall carpet19.

In installing such a carpet it is customary to aflix to the floor 21 ofa room, along at least one wall 22 thereof, an elongated strip known asa tack strip 23, the tack strip being provided with a plurality ofupwardly projecting and laterally inclined pins 24, or teeth. The strip23 is laid down so that the pins 24 tilt toward the adjacent wall 22.

The inner edge 26 of the tack strip 23 is spaced a predetermineddistance from the adjacent wall and thereby affords a space 27 withinwhich an overhanging ledge 28 of carpet can be tucked and lodged, aswill subsequently be explained in detail.

Extending from the tack strip 23 outwardly into the room is thecustomary undercarpet, or padding 31, of resilient material.

In laying the carpet, a free end thereof is secured along one wall, thecarpet then being unrolled, stretched by suit means (not shown) and outalong the opposite end so that the slight overhang 28 is afforded, as inFIG- URE 3.

It is then necessary to force downwardly the portion 18 of the carpetoverlying the tack strip 23 so that the carpet backing 17 is pierced bythe pins 24, the pins being inclined in a direction so as to resist therestoring force exerted by the stretched carpet when the carpetstretcher is removed from the carpet.

Heretofore, such crude expedients as mallets have been used to pound theend of the carpet so as to lodge the carpet on the pins, with the resultthat the pins are often clinched before they pierce the backing. Soalso, by subjecting the carpet to a succession of blows, some of thepreviously lodged backing material is dislodged. As a consequence, withsuch tools, the tacking is only partially complete, the result beingthat when the stretcher is removed, portions of the carpet becomedisengaged from the tack strip and pull away from the wall.

With the present device, however, the foot plate 13 bears firmlydownwardly under the downward urgency of the users hand gripping a handhold 33 defined by the horizontal portion of a strong bar 34 having apair of inclined legs 36 and 37. Undulations 38 on the portion 34 afforda secure and convenient grip for the fingers.

Connected across the lower inclined portions 42 and 43 of the respectivebar legs 36 and 37 is an inwardly inclined web 44 merging at its innerlower end in a vertical guide plate 51 having a planar inner faceadapted to slide vertically down the wall 22 in substantial face to faceengagement therewith.

The plate 51 serves as a very effective positioner and guide for thefoot plate 13, the vertical guide plate 51 being connected adjacent itslower end with the horizontal foot plate 13. A plurality oftriangular-shaped gussets 56 affords rigidity and strength to thestructure.

Projecting downwardly from the bottom of the vertical guide plate 51 isa wedge-shaped bead 61 coplanar on its inner surface with the inner face52 of the guide plate and inclined on its outer face 62 so as to engageand force downwardly the overhanging ledge 28 of carpet and tuck it intothe space 27, thus affording a neat appearance to the finished carpetinstallation.

A plurality of rather dull pins 66, or teeth, is formed on the bottom ofthe foot plate 13 so that when the tool is urged downwardly in thedirection indicated by the arrow 67 in FIGURE 3, the carpet is securelylodged on the tack strip pins 24. The depending pins 66, in other words,penetrate through the pile, as the foot plate is pressed downwardly, andpush the carpet backing downwardly against the tack strip, thus causingall of the tack strip teeth to penetrate the backing. The number,spacing and staggered arrangement of the depending pins 66 resemblethose of the teeth upstanding from the tack strip. However, the toolpins 66, as stated above, are somewhat duller than the tack strip teeth,and are somewhat larger and blunter in profile. Consequently, the toolpins 66 are not only unusually effective in depressing the carpetbacking in a uniformly spaced and regular manner, but also themselvesavoid penetration of the backing. This beneficial effect is enhanced byreason of the downward and outward slope, as shown, of the pins 66.

At the same time the carpet portion below the foot plate is being urgedinto secured position by the downward force exerted by the foot plateand the inclined pins 66,

the marginal bead 61 is being urged against the carpet overhang 28,bending and tucking the carpet overhang into the space 27.

The foot plate 13 is in practice, about one foot long. Thus, along awall 22 which is twelve feet in length, for example, the carpet layerwould lift and urge the tool downwardly, as described, perhaps fourteento eighteen times, allowing for a few inches of overlap on successivestrokes as the user moves along the tack strip from one end to theother, operating the fastening tool as he proceeds.

At the conclusion of the procedure, which requires but a few moments inmost cases, the carpet stretcher device can be removed with theassurance that the carpet is securely fastened to the tack strip andwith the margin or end portion 28 neatly bent downwardly and tucked intothe narrow defile 27 separating the tack strip from the wall.

It can therefore be see that I have provided a carpet layers hand toolwhich is not only safe and convenient to use, but which also firmlysecures and neatly arranges the edge of a carpet.

What is claimed is:

1. A tool for use in fastening a carpet to a tack strip secured to thefloor parallel to and at a predetermined distance from an adjacent wall,sad tool comprising:

(a) an elongated horizontal foot plate having an outer margin and aninner margin for placement on the portion of the carpet overlying thetack strip;

\b) a bead mounted on and depending from said inner margin to overliethe space between the tack strip and the adjacent wall;

(c) a vertical guide plate projecting upwardly from said head andincluding a surface arranged for sliding contact with the wall;

(d) an elongated horizontal hand grip outwardly offset from the generalplane of said guide plate; and,

(e) an inclined member connecting said hand grip and said guide platefor transmitting the downward force exerted on said hand grip to saidguide plate, said bead and said foot plate, said force being effectiveto urge the underlying carpet portion into fastened engagement with saidtack strip.

2. A tool as in claim 1 further including a plurality of depending pinsinclined in a downward and outward attitude.

3. A tool as in claim 2 wherein said bead is wedgeshaped and extendsdownwardly into the space between said tack strip and said wall asdownward force is exerted on said handle, said bead being efiective tourge into said space a portion of the carpet overhanging said space.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,919,840 7/1933 Hoobler 2948.6

EVON C. BLUNK, Primary Examiner R. S. GAITHER, Assistant Examiner

